


Catch That Dream

by marty_mcfly_jr



Series: The Hero [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Captain Hook | Killian Jones Bashing, Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan Bashing, Wicked Witch of the West | Zelena Bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 07:04:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14848016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marty_mcfly_jr/pseuds/marty_mcfly_jr
Summary: After sending Gold on from the underworld to the "better place" life continues for the rest of the family.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Neverland was the place where all the villains are stuck. Gold was stuck there with them for a while and Regina has some memories - you know what? If its hard to understand without reading "The Hero" first, let me know.

Life got back to blissful normalcy for everyone in Storybrooke. Emma and Neal were beginning to feel closer than just best friends and parents. Regina and Neal also started to get to know each other and they realized that they had a lot to talk about. Neal and Regina could sit hours looking through Henry's baby pictures. Regina gushed over every arts-and-crafts that Henry made, every cute thing he did, every adventure he had, and every milestone (like his first word, first step first mischief committed), and Neal couldn't get enough of it. Regina had also known Neal’s father for many years and has spent a great deal of time with him in the enchanted forest and in Storybrooke learning valuable lessons about life. Sometimes, Neal recognized some quotes that she cited from his childhood. He was very happy to know that, while raising Henry, Regina seeked his father’s advice and help all the time, and Henry felt at home in Gold’s shop since he was an infant. Neal once found a beautifully embroidered name tag that Henry kept attached to his camera. Henry told him that Regina got it for his 9th birthday, and when he asked Regina about it, she said that Gold made it for her to give Henry.

When Neal and Emma became a couple again and were living together, He knew that Emma loved him and that they were True Love. Neal never begrudged Emma when she would hang out with Regina. He understood their friendship and love for each other, and even on days when Emma spent more time with Regina than she did with him, he was happy for her and used that time to bond with Henry or Belle and Goldilocks (everyone in town called his sister that name since Henry jokingly bequeathed her with it).

Sometimes the whole extended family would gather either in Regina’s mansion or in Belle’s and they would talk and laugh and reminisce about life with Gold, and everyone would talk about their unique relationship and interactions with him

Regina kept Milah’s memories in a box in her house. she never told anyone about it, and she wasn’t sure why she was keeping it. Every once in a while she almost took it out to look at them, but she always stopped short, remembering how painful it was to see her mentor and friend being hurt so badly. However… Regina just missed him so much, that, she thought, one day while she considered opening the box, she just wanted to -see- him. She took out the dream catcher and looked into it at random, wondering if he ever thought of her, when she suddenly heard her name being mentioned. She quickly ‘re-winded’ the memories a bit and saw how Zelena approaches Rumpelstiltskin, complaining.

“You were supposed to bring everyone their Happily ever after, and I don’t feel happy!” She whined, “Pan got HIS island back with plenty of new people to gamble and drink with, Hook got his ship to sail all of the exciting Neverland waters, plus he has -you- to throw on the floor and kick around, which he seems to really enjoy, Cruella gets to use her dogs to chase you around so you never rest, everyone has what they want, and I don’t.”

Regina couldn’t believe the audacity of her sister, who after what seemed like weeks of sadistically controlling and hurting him, is still complaining about her own happiness. She wanted to ask her, 'having Rumpelstiltskin under your complete control and torturing him until he begs for mercy doesn't make you happy enough, bitch?'

“It’s because you envy people,” Rumple actually answered her civilly, “you jealous types are never happy no matter what.”

Regina was amazed that Rumple was even able to speak at all through his bruised face. It looked like the Sheriff of Nottingham had just finished using his tongue as a pincushion for tiny needles.

Zelena pouted. She seemed oblivious to his suffering. Maybe she was used to seeing him bruised. “I’m not jealous,” she grumbled.

“Who do you envy - _this_ \- time? Hook? Cruella?”

“Regina,” Zelena said.

Rumple sighed, “Why are you obsessed with Regina,” he asked annoyed.

“You love her,” Zelena said.

“No I don’t,” Rumple answered automatically.

Zelena turned to him and said, “I command you to tell me the truth. Do you love Regina?”

“yes,” Rumple answered, “I love Regina.”

Zelena hissed.

Pan was passing by and said, “Hey, where’s the blood? why is he not on his knees? You are not breaking him today? We can just pass him on to Hook or someone. There’s a whole island of people gleeful to get their hands on him.”

Regina thought it was redundant for Pan to ask where is the blood when many lacerations on his body were still oozing.

Zelena looked agitated, “he just told me that he loves Regina,” she said.

“Regina,” Pan asked, “The Evil Queen?”

“Yes, and my sister,” Zelena moaned.

Pan laughed, “well," he said to Rumple, "if you love her so much why didn’t you ever sleep with her?”

“I don’t love her -like that-” Rumple said, nettled.

Pan was baffled, “How else can someone -love-?” he asked ironically.

“The way a friend can love a friend," He answered with exaggerated patience, "or the way a teacher can love a student.”

“I don’t know about that,” Pan said in amusement, “I was never a -teacher-” he made it sound like being a teacher is despicable.

“Well, it’s similar to the way a parent would love a child, but,” Rumple waved his hand in dismissal, “you wouldn’t know much about -that- either.”

Rumple studied his father's face almost as if looking for the slightest acknowledgement that he ought to love him. 

Regina felt a lump in her throat and put the dream catcher back in the box.

*           *             *


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold has been waiting many many years in the "good place". The family he died to save is finally coming to be with him.

One day, when Rumple was sitting peacefully alone in his heavenly hovel, a very old wrinkled woman knocked on the door, and when he opened it, he recognized her right away.

"Belle," he exclaimed, taking her in his arms felt like being finally home, "you're here so soon?"

"what do you mean, I am over a hundred years old," Belle laughed, "our baby already has four grandchildren!"

"little Goldy has four grandchildren? wow," Rumple said happily, "and what about Bae and Henry?"

"Oh, he and Emma had another girl and boy. They're all grown up, and Henry has a great- grandchild already!"

They hugged and kissed and caught up on years of separation, and Belle told him all about his big, happy family.

"I also got married," Belle said.

"To Archie?"

"Archie? No, I did keep up with him, though, he helped me a lot during my first years of mourning you, but I met a nice man from the land without magic, a scientist, and we got married," Belle said, "and he didn't even mind that I constantly spoke about you. He also lost his wife, Gloria, and he missed her so much, so we were even," Belle laughed.

A few weeks later, when Belle and Rumple were strolling down the tree lined path holding hands, they both saw Emma.

"Hey, Belle, we missed you," Emma waved, "and hi Gold, I just got here, and I don't know anyone yet. When I thought about my happy place it brought me here," she laughed, "I guess I am happiest to be with family."

Emma looked at least as old as Belle, and in really good spirits. "My father should get here any minute," she said," my mother is at his bedside."

She suddenly looked like she ought to be sad about it, but then she laughed. "It's so funny how we're all the same age! I got so used to it that I never even thought about it, but now that we're all coming here at the same time it's just hilarious."

After a few years the whole family (the ones who were the same age) were hanging out in Rumple's village. It wasn't really a village anymore. It became a lot more beautiful with huge beautiful castles instead of hovels. They told Rumple about how they always got together during their life at least ten times a year the entire extended family would celebrate birthdays and holidays together.

The most emotional reunion was with Bealfire. He embraced his father tightly and told him how happy he was that he is here, "I never stopped thinking about you and how, if we didn't go with Emma to save who she thought was Hook, you'd have still been in Neverland," Bae said tearfully.

"How did you even know to look for -anyone- at all," Gold wondered, "I left no evidence."

"Henry," Neal answered, "He has a feel for it. You didn't expect that from your grandson, papa, did you," Neal smiled proudly, "he is a lot like you."

"And I'm glad we did try to find you," Belle said, "I couldn't bear to imagine what you would have looked like now, if you'd stayed in Neverland all this time. You've only been there for about a year and still have that haunted look in your eyes every time it's mentioned, and you were planning to endure that kind of horror for all eternity?"

"I didn't think I had a choice," he said defensively.

******************************************


End file.
